Acrobat
by Gotyu
Summary: Robin is made to feel weak, again and again as though almost planned. He's reminded of his past and possible future, and doesn't like what he sees. Young Justice & Justice League, home life, and I may have borrowed a TT character. Robin is in for a rough time...


**This may be a one shot, I've not decided yet. Super busy but I have been craving some new YJ fictions. **  
**If I do continue, bit of a warning - This ties over very VERY slightly with Teen Titans. It also screws around a bit with the time line in actual YJ. It'll be explained, but if you don't like that kinda thing just don't read it ;) **  
**Apologies to Robin... *hem* **

Robin groaned. He came to and was suddenly all too aware of the cold concrete ground beneath his small frame, air touching skin which his torn uniform should have covered, and his body aching for his eyes to stay shut and the silent reprieve his lack of consciousness had brought moments before.

He could hear the team around him fighting on. Artemis shouting his name from across the warehouse as he tried to push himself up only to flip onto his back. It hurt so much, a reality train of what it meant to be a hero having pummelled his body into what it meant to take on too many guys, to be outmatched and outgunned.

But the actual heroes weren't there yet, the Justice League had received the call from Aqualad at least ten minutes before yet they were too far away and running out of time. The young team fought on yet Robin couldn't even lift himself to look around, and the guy who had taken him down was right there, arms folded over himself looking down at his hit.

"Not quite as 'whelmed' now, are you Boy Wonder?"

_The guy had known that they'd be there, not the Justice League, the younger version. And Robin. He'd known and had waited, committing a beacon of crime crime as though it were a flag or bullseye, demanding attention. _

The guy was young, probably early twenties, a grin stretching from ear to ear which seemed eerily like the Joker's in such a context. Somehow he was different from the rest of the fighters who had surrounded and swarmed the warehouse they'd been sent to check out. It was meant to be a small easy mission - check out the reports, something to keep them from complaining in the countless hours they spent at the base. Instead Robin had been separated from his team, kept from their help and engaged in close combat without any option of escape.

_"What's the accent?" The man had thrown between punches, easily dodging a messily thrown batarang. "Is that Romani? It is isn't it." He'd laughed, unable to see Robin's expression yet revelling in it all the same, the words flowing off his tongue without flaw "Mashkar le gadjende leski shib si le Romeski zor."_

'Surrounded by the Gadje, the Rom's only defence is his tongue.'   
_  
Gadje - non Romani folk.  
Rom - Romani. _

_The man knew too much, he had to. No one had mentioned Robin's accent. Ever. That was the first spark of panic, early on and already missing more hits than were landed._

He was wearing blue jeans, black shoes, a black t-shirt and a leather jacket. No mask, no weapons, no costume, just fists and an eye for the fallen hero before him. He had homed straight in on Robin who usually liked to keep some distance when fighting, he used his batarangs, his logic and tactics. But this guy had come straight at him with a strength a normal civillian should never have had, it scared the Robin more than he'd like to admit that the guy could have taken his life a dozen times yet for whatever reason had withheld, opting merely to take him down and out of the fight.

_"How many times have you fought alone little bird? How many times have your wings been clipped?" That laugh again, that all knowing laugh. "How many times have you fallen without a safety net?"_

Safety net… the guy had to know. He knew too much and Robin couldn't get away fast enough. He couldn't get away at all. Panic was causing mistake, his mind kept sidetracking along with the man's words. He couldn't focus. 

_"You're very quiet boy wonder, I was told that you'd put on more of a… performance."_

_He kept digging, small comments aimed too well which Robin couldn't ignore. He was being beaten by words, usually something he thought was his own strength yet now it was being used against him. His heart hammered in his chest as he tried to block it out, but the fear was too strong and the mistakes just kept coming. _

Finally Robin gazed up at the guy through glassy eyes, his head pounding and begging for them to close. He wanted to run, to find some kind of strength and just abandon everything, shamefully right now that may even have included his friends. He'd never been so worried, so uneasy as to what was happening, what the game plan was.

He'd never been a target someone didn't want to kill, the uncertainty of that was terrifying. The only time he'd ever felt so desperately useless was when his parents had plummeted to their deaths two years before, now it was his own life on the line and no one to pull him away. Or maybe it wasn't his life this time, maybe it was the connections his life held, the doors that would be opened if he were unmasked.

No, there was only one time he'd been as scared and that memory wasn't at all welcomed.

"No words Robin? I'm disappointed. I was told you'd be harder to pin down." The guy laughed and strode forward, standing over Robin before leaning down and flipping the boy onto his front.

Robin wanted to struggle, he really did, but his body hurt so damn much and fear crippled whatever fight he had left. He couldn't even find his tongue to form one of his trademark witty replies. Instead he allowed his hands to be bound behind him with rope, around and around so tightly a hiss broke his uneasy breathing. He was pulled back onto his knees which had no hope of supporting him without the villain's supporting grasp, and then the rope which held his hands was wrapped around his arms, preventing any gymnastic style escape he would have once planned. He couldn't move, he couldn't fight, and his team were too busy to come to his aid.

The other guys fighting them didn't seem to be as tough as this one, they were slower and were taken down, but there were so many that their numbers dwindled desperately slowly. Too slow.

Jerked to a standing position Robin tried to find his feet but his legs felt like rubber, wavering and unbalanced. The guy smirked and shook his head. "Come on then kid." He was lifted over the man's shoulder as though he weighed nothing at all.

As the man carried his captive away from the fight Robin caught glimpses of his friends, he saw M'gann and Superboy at the far side of the warehouse finishing with the fighters around them, quickly taking them out before hurrying to help Kid Flash who had somehow been pinned.

M'gann's voice wasn't in Robin's head any more, when he'd passed out the connection had been severed and his head ached so much he wasn't sure whether he could get it back.

Aqualad was at the far right of the warehouse, using his water cannons to take out the approaching masses. He heard Artemis once again and caught her eye as she tried to make her through the wall of bodies separating them, her eyes wide and frightened, Robin's tired and defeated, desperation waining to acceptance.

He couldn't hold his head up for long, his muscles screamed in pain and his head would not stop the pounding which seemed to match each footfall the man took. He was quickly moving away, soon at the warehouse doors and then outside into the bright light of day. His head gently tapping the man's back as he gave up on any thoughts of rescue, whatever was going to happen was happening whether he liked it or not. No one was going to save him, not this time.

"Put him down."

A small sob broke the silent air as he heard his surrogate father figure's voice. The Batman's voice. Maybe hope wasn't completely lost… a surge of energy made him struggle, pulling again the ropes digging into the skin of his wrists, legs kicking out at the air.

"Sorry Bats, ain't gonna happen."

Robin was given a hard shake before being jostled forward in front of the guy who got a good grip of his dark hair and throat, holding him so his battled legs barely held the ground beneath them. The Boy Wonder's eyes found their mark, tears almost blinding him and another sob of weakness broke the quiet. The fear was too much like that night years before, the comments made it too real.

Batman seemed taken aback, an expression so rarely seen Robin close his eyes to avoid it. Maybe it was shame, the shame of having such a useless sidekick who couldn't even defend himself against a human when he was expected to fight along side Martians and Atlantans. He was just a kid who had been separated from his team and beaten within an inch of his life.

"See your little wonder here," the man shook Robin hard eliciting a cry of pain, holding the boy up further and closer so he could feel the breath on the back of his neck. "You don't want me to kill him, you want me to take him alive so you have a chance in finding him in one piece. But if you so much as lift a finger I will snap his little neck like the bird he is." His grip tightened and Robin struggled to breath, rasping loudly and tasting his own tears and blood. "Kapeesh? Now back off, go and help his little friends before they meet a similar fate."

The guy began to move straight towards Batman, dragging the boy before him and squeezing ever tighter on his neck. Robin couldn't breath now and his legs stumbled uselessly, he could feel the blood draining from his face as his body jerked to try and loosen the grip. But Batman didn't move.

"I don't like repeating myself." He growled, stepping towards the approaching man who suddenly didn't seem quite as sure. "Put him down."

"Back off Bats."

Something came from behind, hard and fast and without mercy. The grip on Robin's neck was suddenly gone and he was flung forward to the ground, arms unable to stop the fall he took it full force, the wind knocked out of him and head cracking against concrete.

It took a long few seconds for his black vision to collect itself and for Robin to realise what had happened - Superman stood over the now unconscious man, a look of horror on his face. But before Robin could really read the situation the light was blocked out by Batman's form, kneeling over him and carefully unbinding his hands which had long lost any feeling.

He pulled the rope from round the small boy's frame and gently move him onto his back, a hand running carefully through his hair to check for damage. "What happened?"

He couldn't reply, his breath was still catching up with the moments he'd lost and his body had started shaking which had nothing to do with the cold. Tears were still running down his face, eyes still glassy as his consciousness wained.

"I'll take him to Lesley." Clark's soft voice was closer but Dick was finding it harder and harder to listen. "You need to deal with this idiot." There was a soft thud which Dick imagined was Clark's foot hitting the fallen bad guy. He hoped so anyway.

Bruce leant in, so close Dick could feel warmth radiating off his body armour. "Superman will take you. I'll be there as soon as we've finished here. Keep those eyes open and concentrate on your breathing."

As he pulled away Dick could see glossy areas of red on the bat suit and wondered if it was his or his adoptive fathers, knowing only one of them had taken the beating, his body ached too much to really take stock of anything past a general feeling of pain and a desperate need to close his eyes.

"Take him." Bruce's voice ordered, the bat tone loosening slightly. "Quickly."

He was lifted again, but this time gently and by someone he would give his life to if for whatever bizarre reason it came to it. The arms around him were warm, safe and with a purpose he agreed with - one Superflight away from pain meds and sleep. Home, familiarity, life.

As Superman rose and the air pushed against them he ignored Bruce's order and closed his eyes, the tremors in his body reducing as he finally gave in and was consumed in darkness.

He could hear them in every waking second. The sound of his parents bodies hitting the ground, one after another.

Thump. Thump.

Heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.


End file.
